Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a joke about Man City's 115 charges on Tuesday and Pep Guardiola has now responded
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola has responded to Arne Slot's joke around Man City's 115 charges.
(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola remained tight-lipped and refused to engage in a tit-for-tat with Liverpool manager Arne Slot following the latter's quip about the club's ongoing Premier League hearing. On Tuesday, when probed about Mohamed Salah potentially playing his last home game against City on Sunday due to his expiring contract, Slot cheekily remarked: "Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 [charges], so he doesn't expect them to be in the Premier League next season."
Sensing the potential for controversy, Slot was quick to clarify: "I do expect them to be in the Premier League. That was a joke! I do repeat: that was a joke." City find themselves embroiled in a profound legal tussle with the Premier League concerning allegations of violating financial regulations—a hefty 115 allegations, to be precise.
The club vehemently denies all charges, yet the ongoing case casts a shadow over their 2024/25 season, with a resolution not expected before the close of 2025 as appeals threaten to draw out the process even further.
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Confronted with queries regarding Slot's comments at a pre-match press conference before facing Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, Guardiola was blunt in his response, saying: "It was a joke. It was a joke, right? It was a joke."
Guardiola's team is currently on a seven-match winless run and trails Liverpool by 11 points in the Premier League title race. His frustration has been evident in recent weeks, most notably during Sunday's match at Anfield, where he held up six fingers to the crowd, symbolising the number of Premier League titles he has won.
When questioned about his actions, Guardiola responded: "We won six, yeah. I was never cool. Do you know why I was cool? Because we won. If you ever win, it's so cool, it's so handsome, it's so nice. When you don't win, it's completely the opposite. But it's the same."
This gesture mirrors that of Jose Mourinho, who held up three fingers while managing Manchester United, marking the beginning of his downfall at the club. Guardiola hopes for a different outcome, stating: "I hope not in my case,' he said. "Maybe we are similar like Jose, but he won three and I won six! We are together in those situations.
"It was just to make our fans feel that what we have done is extraordinary. I want to prove that we are an incredible football club. Sooner or later it's going to be the end, but I will try to extend as much as possible for the best of my club."